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Film: Before I Wake
Year: 2016
Director: Mike Flanagan
Writer: Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard
Starring: Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane and Jacob Tremblay
Review:
This was a film that I remember I originally saw while searching the high seas. In my defense, the reason was that it struggled to find distribution. It is now on Netflix. I know I’ve also seen this one a couple of times, showing it for a movie night year back as well. It was selected for Duncan over on the Podcast Under the Stairs’ Horror Head-to-Head. I wasn’t on that episode, but still wanted to give it a rewatch since it had been years.
Synopsis: A couple adopt an orphaned child whose dreams - and nightmares - manifest physically as he sleeps.
We start with a man entering a boy’s room while he sleeps. His name is Whelan (Dash Mihok) and the boy is Cody (Jacob Tremblay). Whelan has a gun in his hand. He hears something that startles him. He also closed the door when he entered. It opens, scaring him and the gun goes off, waking the boy up.
This then shifts to a couple that has been approved to become foster parents. They are Jessie (Kate Bosworth) and Mark (Thomas Jane). The social worker they meet with is Natalie (Annabeth Gish). She informs them that she has just the child for them, that he has a rough go with former foster parents, having been abandoned or brought back multiple times. They’re excited for the prospect.
They prepare the house for him to arrive. Mark puts up rails in the bathtub and we learn that this family had a son, Sean (Antonio Evan Romero), but he died in a tragic accident. Cody arrives and he is polite. There takes a little bit of time to get acclimated, but everyone seems happy about this arrangement.
Cody has a gift though. When he dreams, it manifests like the synopsis says in the real world. He loves butterflies and they appear to his new parents as they are watching television. They don’t notice it though, but there is something else that comes with them. This boy is terrified of an entity that follows him named the Canker Man (Topher Bosquet).
Jessie is still dealing with the grief of what happened to their son. She sees a chance for healing by showing Cody home videos and pictures, hoping that she can hold him one last time. The problem is that Cody is afraid to sleep, as the Canker Man eats people when he does. There is a tragedy at school where a bully, Tate (Hunter Wenzel), disappears. This is just the beginning as Cody and his new foster parents try to figure out the truth before it is too late.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start is that ahead of seeing this film, I heard about it and the director, Mike Flanagan, on podcasts. To that point I would have seen Oculus and Hush. It was this one that solidified him as one of my favorite modern horror directors that he kept building on with things like Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game. I even thought his prequel, Ouija: Origin of Evil was solid. I just wanted to set this up more before delving into my thoughts here.
First, I did want to include that Flanagan didn’t want this movie to be portrayed as a horror film and I agree with him slightly there. That could explain the issues with distribution as well. There is a heartbreaking story here. I feel horrible for Cody. His mother passed away from cancer and since then, he’s bounced from foster families. Tremblay does such a good job of being a sweet and polite kid that you can’t understand why he’s having issues finding a permanent home. It is then through his gift that it makes more sense. I’ll include something this film hits me in the feels every time. I cried during this last viewing. Part of it I think is thinking about what would happen to my daughter, Mackenzie, if she was in this situation. The other thing is that he’s just a boy. He’s trying his best to prevent things, but he can’t control it either. Credit to Tremblay and the filmmaking to get that reaction.
Then from there I wanted to discuss the parents. I’ll start by saying that they’re both good. Mark has moved on from what happened to Sean. You never fully get over it, I’m sure. He is ready to give his full love to Cody. Jessie is still attending group therapy, which is fine. She still carries resentment toward Mark and blames him in a way. She sees a chance to heal through Cody. It isn’t fair though. I did like that Mark calls her out on what she is doing since it is a variation on abuse. This is as much as redemption tale for the Jessie character that I think works well. Bosworth and Jane are both great in their roles as well.
I now want to shift over to filmmaking and starting with the creature. I’m not going to spoil it but I love the reveal of what the Canker Man is. It is a heartbreaking concept. I’m not always a fan of information dumps, but I think this movie needed it. It is an interesting thing to do by having it told as a nighttime story to Cody. The look of the Canker Man is creepy, so credit there. Now there is CGI here for this and the manifestations that Cody projects. I don’t have an issue here since this is a boy’s interpretation. Things aren’t quite right, like butterflies missing antennas. That’s a good touch. The cinematography and framing is also good. There are a couple moments where we see something and a character doesn’t. That creeps me out. I like what they do with having things come together to create a bigger image. Other than that, the soundtrack and design help build the atmosphere needed.
I’ll then finish discussing the acting performances. I’ve already said that I thought Bosworth, Jane and Tremblay were all great. I did want to re-iterate that I love all three who are dealing with grief and trauma in different ways. Gish is solid as this social worker who brings this family together. Bousquet does good things with his body to bring the Canker Man to life. I did like Mihok, Jay Karens, Wenzel, Romero, Kyla Deaver, Scottie Thompson and the rest of the cast. They help push our three lead characters to where they end up in the end.
In conclusion, this is one that I know I’m higher on than other people but it just does things that work for me. It also hits me in the feels so if you can get that reaction, I credit it. There is good writing here though. I love the explanation of what the Canker Man is and why it is haunting this boy. Bosworth, Jane and Tremblay leading the acting performances with the rest of the cast pushing them to where they end up. I am forgiving of the CGI, since these are manifestations of a boy. This is well-made other than that with the cinematography and framing leading the way there. It holds up for me and still rather enjoy this one. I’d recommend it more to non-horror fans though. It is heartbreaking but has a good arch.
My Rating: 8 out of 10